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Iron-on transfers can be a great way to express your own personal style, and make a cool addition to many different items of clothing. However, you may decide after having an iron-on transfer for a while that you are tired of looking at it. Unfortunately, most iron-on transfers are permanent. However, you can try to remove the transfer using one or more of the approaches in the steps below.

Steps

Method1

Using Chemical Solvents to Remove Transfer

1

Purchase a chemical solvent made for removing lettering. There are solvents made for this specific purpose,[1][2] but you could try household solvents such as nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, or an adhesive remover such as Goo Gone.

2

Place your garment in the dryer. Putting the item in the dryer on high heat for a few minutes will heat the adhesive and possibly loosen it a little.

3

Turn your garment inside-out. The transfer should be on the inside. You should locate the area of the transfer and place your garment so that the inside of the shirt with the transfer behind it is facing up (so that if you could see through the shirt, you would see the back side of the transfer).[3]

4

Test an area of the garment. Before applying solvent all over the garment, test a discreet area to be sure that the chemical does not damage the garment.

5

Saturate the garment with the solvent. Apply the solvent liberally to the areas of the garment that have the transfer on the other side. [4] The idea is that the solvent will soak through the fabric and loosen the adhesive between the fabric and the transfer.

6

Stretch the fabric. Stretching and wiggling the fabric will help the solvent soak through the fabric and penetrate the adhesive. After stretching, you may want to apply more solvent. [5]

7

Peel the transfer away. If the solvent has worked, you should be able to peel the transfer off of the garment. You may need to encourage the transfer to peel off by using a knife to scrape it up or by applying additional heat with a hair dryer.

8

Remove any glue residue. After the transfer has been removed, you may find some adhesive left over. You can try removing it with rubbing alcohol or an adhesive remover such as Goo Gone. Be sure to check a discreet corner of the material for reaction before using any chemical on the fabric.

9

Wash the garment by itself. Wash the garment alone, either by hand or in the washing machine. Washing it with other garments may cause the solvent to damage other items of clothing. Be sure to wash the garment well, using extra detergent, before wearing to avoid skin contact with the solvent.

Method2

Using Heat and Steam to Remove Transfer

1

Place the garment on a flat surface. An ironing board or tabletop covered with a towel would work. Be sure the surface that you are using is not sensitive to heat.

2

Put a towel inside the shirt. Placing a small towel or rag inside the shirt may help prevent any damage to the other side of your garment. If the towel is making your work surface difficult because it is too soft, try a piece of cardboard or very thin plywood instead.

3

Check the garment care instructions. Heating the garment beyond recommended settings may cause damage to the material. Some materials, such as polyester, may actually melt if overheated.

4

Use a hairdryer to heat the transfer. A hairdryer on its hottest setting, held very close to the letters, may heat the adhesive on the back of the transfer enough for it to become malleable and be removed.[6]

5

Use steam to heat the transfer. Alternately, you can use steam to treat the transfer. Place a wet towel over the transfer and put a very hot iron on top of it. [7] The steam may heat the adhesive on the back of the transfer enough for it to become malleable and be removed.

6

Use a sharp knife to peel up the transfer. Once the transfer has loosened with the heat, scrape a sharp knife along the edge to pry up the iron-on transfer. [8] Once part of the transfer has been pried up, it should be easier to continue pulling up the transfer a little at a time.

7

Continue heating areas of the transfer and removing the transfer. You may need to do one very small area of the transfer at a time to keep it very hot in order to keep scraping it away.

8

Be patient. This method may take a long time. Put on some of your favorite music and challenge yourself to stick with it until it is all finished.

9

Remove any glue residue. After the transfer has been removed, you may find some adhesive left over. You can try removing it with rubbing alcohol or an adhesive remover such as Goo Gone. Be sure to check a discreet corner of the material for reaction before using any chemical on the fabric.

10

Wash the garment as usual. After you have removed the transfer and residue, launder the garment as you normally do. Be sure to do this if you used any kind of chemical to remove leftover residue, as chemicals may irritate or harm your skin.

Method3

Removing a Transfer With An Iron

1

Place the garment on an ironing board. Be sure that the transfer is facing up, and lay the garment out completely flat. If you do not have an ironing board, you can lay a towel across a hard surface such as a table, counter, washing machine, or dryer.

2

Put a towel inside the shirt. Placing a small towel or rag inside the shirt may help prevent any damage to the other side of your garment. If the towel is making your work surface difficult because it is too soft, try a piece of cardboard or very thin plywood instead.

3

Check the garment care instructions. Heating the garment beyond recommended settings may cause damage to the material. Some materials, such as polyester, may actually melt if overheated. This method involves direct heat and runs a higher risk of damaging the garment than other methods.

4

Heat your iron. The iron should be as hot as possible. This may mean that the iron will be hotter than the care instructions for the garment allow. If you are worried about damaging the garment, you may want to try a different method. You could try starting with a medium heat and slowly turning the iron hotter to find the right temperature that will remove the transfer but not damage the garment.

5

Lay wax paper over vinyl letters. If the transfer is made of vinyl, place wax paper over the letters and iron directly on the wax paper. The vinyl transfer will essentially melt and stick to the wax paper, and you can peel the letters away from the shirt by removing the wax paper. This only works with vinyl transfers.

6

Apply the iron to a corner of the transfer. The heat from the iron should essentially melt the transfer away. [9] Start with a corner and work your way across the transfer.

7

Use quick strokes of the iron to remove the transfer. Once a corner has come off, make quick movements with your iron in the direction of the transfer. [10] It should continue to peel up and possibly burn off as you go.

8

Continue until the transfer is gone. Repeat the strokes of the iron directly on the transfer until it has been completely removed. If you garment appears to be getting damaged, you may want to turn down the heat a bit.

9

Remove any glue residue. After the transfer has been removed, you may find some adhesive left over. You can try removing it with rubbing alcohol or an adhesive remover such as Goo Gone. Be sure to check a discreet corner of the material for reaction before using any chemical on the fabric.

10

Wash the garment as usual. After you have removed the transfer and residue, launder the garment as you normally do. Be sure to do this if you used any kind of chemical to remove leftover residue, as chemicals may irritate or harm your skin.

If you want to remove an iron-on transfer from your clothes, purchase a special solvent for removing the print, or use household items, like nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol. When you're ready to start the process, put the garment in the dryer on high heat for 5-10 minutes to loosen the adhesive. Then, remove the item from the dryer and turn it inside out. Spray the back of the iron-on with the remover until the fabric is completely saturated, and then stretch the fabric to help the remover soak into the adhesive. Turn the item right-side out again, and begin peeling iron-on off with a plastic card or a butter knife. For tips on getting rid of additional adhesive or using steam to remove an iron-on, read on!

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,030,823 times.

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About This Article

2 votes - 60%

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60% of people told us that this article helped them.

Co-authors: 13

Updated: August 26, 2019

Views: 1,030,823

AY

Alexa Y.

Nov 5, 2016

"This article was a lot of help, because you gave me different ways to take off the transfer. I looked on the transfer website, but there method didn't work. I tried the 3rd method, and it worked well. The company's method didn't work because I had something on the back, and it would have got ruined. Next time I need help, I will definitely use this website. Thank you so much, wikiHow! "..." more

DM

Dienie Muller

Oct 17, 2017

"I did everything as in the article. The wet towel created steam and the vinyl letters came off. Had to do it over and over again, but I am very glad. But now I have the "shadow" of the letters and do not know how to get rid of this!"..." more

AS

Ann Smith

Mar 8, 2016

"Method 3 made it a breeze to remove my iron-on mistake. I wish I had tried this before I used the adhesiver remover, which did not work."..." more

RA

Rayan Annobi

Jun 25, 2017

"Thank you so much, I wanted my clothes to be plain so I tried searching online and this site gave me the best solution!"..." more

Rated this article:

ZL

Zo Lapostolle

Aug 8, 2017

"I want to get rid of a print on my pullover hoodie that I thrifted, and it gave me 3 ways! Yay! "

Rated this article:

A

Anonymous

Jul 29, 2017

"It helps a lot if the transfer is already peeling off of the fabric."